Nesting tissue carton

ABSTRACT

A dispenser for substrates or sheet-materials is described. The dispenser houses a plurality of sheets formed from a sheet-material. The dispenser includes a plurality of panels and a dispensing opening located in at least one of the plurality of panels. At least one of the plurality of panels forming the dispenser being curvilinear or stepped such that at least two of the dispensers will nest together to form a substantially parallelepiped shape.

BACKGROUND

Increasingly, producers of consumer product dispensers, such as facial tissue cartons, are interested in alternative shapes besides the typical parallelepiped shapes generally offered. A parallelepiped (rectangular prism) can offer several advantages such as efficient packing of the product, efficient distribution of the product, and efficient board utilization to make the carton. However, consumers have grown accustomed to such shapes, and there is little differentiation from one product to another. Graphical treatments can help, but the basic carton shapes are still largely the same for all manufacturers.

Alternatively shaped cartons could offer an advantage in product differentiation. However, shaped cartons are typically not sized or conducive for efficient utilization of the standard shipping corrugate or box, and ultimately the pallet on which typical rectangular facial tissue cartons are shipped for sale. This can significantly increase product distribution costs, which are passed on to customers, making potential alternative carton shapes more expensive for retailers and consumers alike.

Therefore, a need exists for carton shapes that are significantly differentiated from the typical rectangular shape, yet, at the same time, can be fit together such that they can fill a standard shipping box with little or no waste, thereby minimizing distribution costs while providing unique, advantaged shapes and designs.

SUMMARY

The inventors have discovered that by forming a sheet-material dispenser with one or more curvilinear or stepped sides, two or more dispensers can be nested or fit together like jigsaw puzzle pieces to form a substantially parallelepiped shape. As such, individual distinctive dispenser shapes can be provided while still enabling efficient distribution of the dispensers. The nesting of two or more individual dispensers to form a substantially parallelepiped shape, enables efficient packing of a standard shipping box or container with the dispensers. This can also provide a benefit of greater internal strength and support to the shipping box in which the dispensers are placed, help to protect the dispensers from damage during shipping, or prevent excessive surface abrasion. The shipping boxes can be stacked efficiently on a pallet, thereby minimizing supply chain costs.

Hence, in one aspect, the invention resides in a product including: a dispenser housing a plurality of sheets formed from a sheet-material; the dispenser comprising a plurality of panels and a dispensing opening located in at least one of the plurality of panels; and at least one of the plurality of panels being curvilinear or stepped such that at least two of the dispensers will nest together to form a substantially parallelepiped shape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above aspects and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a sheet-material dispenser in accordance with the invention in perspective view.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a carton blank to form the dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates the stacking or nesting of two dispensers to form a substantially parallelepiped shape.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a sheet-material dispenser in accordance with the invention in perspective view containing a stack of sheet materials.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a sheet-material dispenser in accordance with the invention in perspective view containing a stack of sheet materials.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a carton blank to form the dispenser of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates the stacking or nesting of eight dispensers of FIG. 5 to form a substantially parallelepiped shape.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a sheet-material dispenser in accordance with the invention in perspective view.

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a sheet-material dispenser in accordance with the invention in perspective view.

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of a carton blank to form the dispenser of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 illustrates the stacking or nesting of eight dispensers of FIG. 9 to form a substantially parallelepiped shape.

FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment of a sheet-material dispenser in accordance with the invention in perspective view.

FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment of a sheet-material dispenser in accordance with the invention in perspective view.

FIG. 14 illustrates the stacking or nesting of two dispensers of FIG. 13 to form a substantially parallelepiped shape.

Repeated use of reference characters in the specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention in different embodiments.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, forms of the words “comprise”, “have”, and “include” are legally equivalent and open-ended. Therefore, additional non-recited elements, functions, steps or limitations may be present in addition to the recited elements, functions, steps, or limitations.

As used herein, “sheet-material” is a flexible substrate, which is useful for household chores, bathrooms, cleaning, personal care, health care, food wrapping, and cosmetic application or removal. Non-limiting examples of suitable substrates for use with the dispenser include nonwoven substrates; woven substrates; hydro-entangled substrates; air-entangled substrates; paper substrates comprising cellulose such as tissue paper, toilet paper, or paper towels; waxed paper substrates; coform substrates comprising cellulose fibers and polymer fibers; wet substrates such as wet wipes, moist cleaning wipes, and baby wipes; film or plastic substrates such as those used to wrap food; shop towels; and metal substrates such as aluminum foil. Furthermore, laminated or plied together substrates of two or more layers of any of the preceding substrates are also suitable.

As used herein, “wet sheet-material” includes substrates that are either wet or pre-moistened by an appropriate liquid, partially moistened by an appropriate liquid, or substrates that are initially dry but intended to be moistened prior to use by placing the substrate into an appropriate liquid such as water or a solvent. Non-limiting examples of suitable wet substrates include a substantially dry substrate (less than 10% by weight of water) containing lathering surfactants and conditioning agents either impregnated into or applied to the substrate such that wetting of the substrate with water prior to use yields a personal cleansing product. Such substrates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,931 entitled Cleansing Products Having A Substantially Dry Substrate, issued to Fowler et al. on Nov. 9, 1999. Other suitable wet sheet-materials can have encapsulated ingredients such that the capsules rupture during dispensing or use. Examples of encapsulated materials include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,757 entitled Encapsulated Materials, issued to El-Nokaly on Jun. 1, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,555 entitled Encapsulated Cosmetic Compositions, issued to El-Nokaly on Feb. 4, 1997. Other suitable wet sheet-materials include dry substrates that deliver liquid when subjected to in-use shear and compressive forces. Such substrates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,165 entitled Wet-Like Cleaning Articles, issued to Mackay et al. on Sep. 19, 2000. Other suitable wet sheet-materials include those having a formulation that can be heated in a microwave oven to create a warm wet wipe.

DETAILED DESCIPTION

It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention, which broader aspects are embodied in the exemplary construction.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, one embodiment of a dispenser 10 for wet or dry sheet-materials is shown. The dispenser 10 has a unique and visually appealing shape resembling a whale; but when packed for shipping, the dispensers nest together to form a substantially parallelepiped shape 11 as best seen in FIG. 3. As such, efficient distribution of the dispensers in corrugates or shipping boxes is possible with a minimum of wasted interior space within the shipping box. The shipping boxes can be efficiently stacked on a pallet for distribution. Alternatively, the shipping boxes can be stacked and shrink wrapped, without using a pallet, to have an approximate 48 inch by 40 inch footprint for loading into an enclosed semi-trailer.

The dispenser 10 includes a plurality of panels 12 to form the dispenser. The number of panels 12 can vary depending on the desired shape of the dispenser 10. In general, the dispenser 10 will have a dispensing opening 13, a top panel 14, an opposing bottom panel 16, and at least one sidewall panel 18. The sidewall panel 18 may include one or more individual panels such as a front panel 20, an opposing back panel 22, a left side panel 24, and an opposing right side panel 26. However, there could be one, two, three, four, five, six or any number of sidewall panels. As used herein the terms “top”, “bottom”, “left”, and “right” are used for convenience only and are not meant to imply the dispenser 10 must be used or oriented in a specific manner. The panels could also as easily be referred to as the first panel, the second panel, the third panel, et cetera.

At least one of the plurality of panels 12 of the dispenser 10 is curvilinear or stepped such that it will nest or fit together with a matching curvilinear or stepped panel on an adjacent dispenser to form a substantially parallelepiped shape 11 as best seen in FIG. 3. As used herein, “curvilinear” means that the entire panel's length is curved, the majority of the panel's length is curved, or at least a portion of the panel's length is curved. As such, a curvilinear panel may have one or more linear portions and one or more curved portions in combination.

The dispenser 10 is visually distinctive and attractive; and differentiated from prior art dispenser shapes such as a cube, a rectangular prism, a triangular prism, a cylinder, or an oblate cylinder (oval sidewall with flat top and bottom). Additionally, the dispenser 10 retains the efficient packing properties of a cube or rectangular prism while providing a visually appealing shape. The dispenser 10 is also a significant improvement over the inefficient packing properties of a cylinder or an oblate cylinder into a rectangular shipping box. Circular or oval shaped dispensers often have a large volume of wasted interior space when packed into a shipping box or container. Circular or oval shaped dispensers can also require additional packaging materials within the shipping box to fill in the spaces between dispensers to prevent damage, crushing, or excessive movement during transport.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the dispenser 10 includes a curvilinear top panel 14 that is a portion of a repeating sine wave. The dispenser 10 may be especially appealing to children since it resembles a whale. To further enhance the dispenser's appeal, the exterior of the dispenser can be printed to resemble a whale or a fish. For example, the front panel 20 can be printed with a mouth, an eye, and other indicia to enhance the resemblance.

Two of the dispensers will nest or match up similar to jigsaw puzzle pieces. By inverting and rotating one dispenser relative to the second, the two curvilinear top panels 14 can be matched up to form the substantially parallelepiped shape 11. Alternatively, a curvilinear top panel 14 could fit or nest with a curvilinear bottom panel 16. Any of the dispenser's plurality of panels 12 could be curvilinear in order to nest with the same or a different curvilinear panel on another dispenser.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to form a multi-pack bundle 15 where two or more individual dispensers 10 are assembled into a substantially parallelepiped shape 11 and shrink wrapped or banded together by a packaging material 17. Alternatively, the dispensers can be adhesively attached by an adhesive 19 to each other at one or more locations.

The dispenser 10 houses a plurality of sheets 28 formed from a sheet-material. The sheets can be provided in a wide variety of formats as known to those of skill in the art. The sheets 28 can be interfolded for pop-up dispensing and formed into a stack 29 (FIGS. 4, 5, 9). Alternately, the sheets 28 can be folded or formed into a stack without interfolding for reach-in dispensing. Alternatively, the sheets can be formed into a roll and separated by lines of weakness. Alternatively, individual discrete sheets can be shingled or staggered and wound into a roll for individual dispensing. In one embodiment, a stack of facial tissue sheets was placed into the dispenser 10.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a blank 30 for making the dispenser 10 is illustrated. The carton blank 30 includes the rectangular bottom panel 16, the front panel 20 and the back panel 22 having a curvilinear edge 32 comprising a plurality of tabs 34. The tabs 34 can be used to adhesively join the various panels to form the dispenser 10. The blank 30 also includes the rectangular left side panel 24, the rectangular right side panel 26, and the top panel 14 that is formed into the curvilinear top panel once the dispenser is assembled. To form the dispenser 10, the blank 30 is folded about a plurality of fold lines 36, and the tabs 34 are secured to the interior portions of the various panels 12 using an adhesive.

Other construction techniques known to those of skill in the art can be used to form the dispenser 10. For example, instead of an integrated blank 30, discrete panels 12 can be joined together to form the dispenser 10. Alternatively, a combination of one or more discrete panels and a partial dispenser blank forming a portion of the dispenser can be joined together to form the dispenser 10. Alternately, two or more partial blanks can be folded to form a portion of the dispenser and then joined together. Injection molding or thermoforming techniques can also be used to form the dispenser 10.

The dispensing opening 13 can optionally include a dispensing window. The dispensing window can be made from a suitable material such as a film, nonwoven, or paper material that can retain a partially dispensed sheet, such as a facial tissue, within the dispensing opening for pop-up dispensing. The dispensing window can have a dispensing orifice that can be a slit; a curvilinear line; a geometric shape such as an oval, a circle, or a triangle; or an X-shaped, +-shaped or H-shaped orifice. Alternatively, the dispensing window can be eliminated and fingers or tabs projecting into the dispensing opening can be used to retain a partially dispensed sheet. For wet sheet-materials, the dispensing opening 13 can include a suitable cap, cover, lid or other structure to substantially seal the dispensing opening to better retain the moisture of the wet sheet-materials.

The dispensing opening 13 can be any size or shape such as square, circular, or oval and located in any of the plurality of panels 12. The dispensing opening 13 generally will be larger in size for a reach in dispenser and smaller in size for a pop-up dispenser. In one embodiment, the dispensing opening 13 is located near the apex of the curvilinear top panel 14 such that it was in a position similar to a blow hole on a whale. As such, when the sheet material is dispensed, especially for pop-up dispensing, the partially exposed sheet 28 retained in the dispensing opening 13 resembles a water spout emanating from a whale. In another embodiment, the dispensing opening has one or more curvilinear edges that are similar in shape to the curvilinear panels of the dispenser (FIGS. 6, 10).

The dispenser can further include an optional removable surfboard or cover that can be attached to the plurality of panels 12 by a perforated or weakened line which can initially cover the dispensing opening 13. The removable surfboard can be used to prevent foreign materials from entering the assembled dispenser and provides protection for the more fragile dispensing window during filling and shipping. The dispenser 10 can also include an optional film wrapper. The film wrapper can be used to display printed information, such as a prominent trademark, size of the sheets, the number of sheets, or patent information, which can later be removed by the consumer so as to not detract from the graphic design of the dispenser 10. Alternatively, the film wrapper can be used to form the multi-pack bundle 15.

The dispenser 10 can be made from suitable materials that include, without limitation, cardboard, carton stock, paperboard, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, ABS plastic, metal, wood, and glass, amongst other suitable alternatives. In one embodiment, the dispenser 10 is a facial tissue carton comprising carton stock and housing a plurality of facial tissue sheets 28 that are assembled into a stack 29.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the whale dispenser 10′ is shown. In this embodiment, the right side panel 26 has been eliminated and the curvilinear top panel 14 is directly joined to the bottom panel 16. Additionally, the curvilinear top panel 14 has a small radius where it meets with the left side panel 24. Two of the dispensers 10′ can be interrelated or nested in a similar manner as shown in FIG. 3. The dispenser 10′ can be sized such that the stack 29 assumes a similar curvilinear shape as the top panel 14. Alternately, the dispenser 10′ can be sized to place a flat stack 29, such as shown in FIG. 5, inside.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, an alternative embodiment of the dispenser 10 is shown. The dispenser 10 includes a plurality of panels 12 to form the dispenser. The dispenser 10 has a dispensing opening 13, a top panel 14, an opposing bottom panel 16, a front panel 20, an opposing back panel 22, a left side panel 24, and an opposing right side panel 26. At least two of the plurality of panels 12 of the dispenser 10 are curvilinear or stepped such that it will nest or fit together with a matching curvilinear or stepped panel on one or more adjacent dispensers to form a substantially parallelepiped shape 11 as best seen in FIG. 7.

The opposing front and back panels (20, 22) are curvilinear having curvilinear edges 32 that comprise a portion of a sine wave. The dispenser 10 is similar in size and shape to a regular rectangular facial tissue carton with the front and back panels being curvilinear. For standard facial tissue sheets, the dispenser may have a width of approximately 4.75 inches, an overall length of approximately 9.25 inches and a variable height dependent on the desired number of sheets to be contained by the dispenser.

In different embodiments of the dispenser, any two of the dispenser's six panels 12 can be curvilinear or stepped to form additional embodiments. For example, it may be desirable to curve the top and bottom panels (14, 16) such that the dispenser resembles an arch when viewed from the front. By selecting a similar radius of curvature for the top and bottom panels, the dispensers can be readily stacked one atop another for efficient shipping.

Referring to FIG. 6, a blank 30 for making the dispenser of FIG. 5 is illustrated. The carton blank 30 includes the curvilinear top panel 14, the curvilinear bottom panel 16, the rectangular front panel 20, the rectangular back panel 22, the rectangular left side panel 24, and the rectangular right side panel 26. A plurality of tabs 34 can be used to adhesively join the various panels of the dispenser 10. To form the dispenser 10, the blank 30 is folded about a plurality of fold lines 36, and the tabs 34 are secured to the interior portions of the various panels 12 using an adhesive.

Referring now to FIG. 8, an alternative embodiment of the dispenser 10 is shown. The dispenser 10 includes a plurality of panels 12 to form the dispenser. The dispenser 10 has a dispensing opening 13, a top panel 14, an opposing bottom panel 16, a front panel 20, an opposing back panel 22, a left side panel 24, and an opposing right side panel 26. At least three of the plurality of panels 12 of the dispenser 10 are curvilinear or stepped such that it will nest or fit together with a matching curvilinear or stepped panel on one or more adjacent dispensers to form a substantially parallelepiped shape 11.

The opposing left and right side panels (24, 26) are curvilinear on the illustrated dispenser 10 and comprise a portion of a sine wave. Additionally, the top panel 14 is curvilinear and comprises a portion of a sine wave. However, any three of the six panels 12 can be curvilinear or stepped to form additional nesting embodiments.

Referring now to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11, an alternative embodiment of the dispenser 10 is shown. The dispenser 10 includes a plurality of panels 12 to form the dispenser. The dispenser 10 has a dispensing opening 13, a top panel 14, an opposing bottom panel 16, a front panel 20, an opposing back panel 22, a left side panel 24, and an opposing right side panel 26. At least four of the plurality of panels 12 of the dispenser 10 are curvilinear or stepped such that it will nest or fit together with a matching curvilinear or stepped panel on one or more adjacent dispensers to form a substantially parallelepiped shape 11 as best seen in FIG. 11.

The opposing front and back panels (20, 22), and the opposing left and right side panels (24, 26) are curvilinear on the illustrated dispenser 10 and comprise a portion of a sine wave. The dispenser is similar in size and shape to an upright facial tissue carton with all of the sidewall panels being curvilinear. The dispenser or sheets can be sized such that the stack 29 is bell-shaped or arched by having the ends of the stack pointing to the sidewall as shown in FIG. 9 and leaving a small opening underneath the stack. A bell-shaped stack can dispense better than a U-shaped stack since it is folded to a lesser extent and may be less compressed by the sidewalls of the dispenser. Alternatively, the stack can be U-shaped as known in the art by folding the stack completely in half such that the ends of the stack point towards the bottom 16 (not shown). For standard facial tissue sheets, the dispenser may have a width of approximately 4.375 inches, a length of approximately 4.375 inches and a height of approximately 5 inches. However, any four of the six panels can be curvilinear, non-linear, or stepped to form additional embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 10, a partial carton blank 30 and two discrete panels for making the dispenser of FIG. 9 is illustrated. The partial carton blank 30 includes the curvilinear top panel 14 having four curvilinear edges 32, the curvilinear bottom panel 16 having four curvilinear edges 32, the rectangular front panel 20, the opposing rectangular back panel 22, the rectangular left side panel 24, and the opposing rectangular right side panel 26. A plurality of tabs 34 can be used to adhesively join the various panels of the dispenser 10. To form the dispenser 10, the blank 30 is folded about a plurality of fold lines 36, and the tabs 34 are secured to the interior portions of the various panels 12 using an adhesive.

Referring now to FIG. 12, an alternative embodiment of the dispenser 10 is shown. The dispenser 10 includes a plurality of panels 12 to form the dispenser. The dispenser 10 has a dispensing opening 13, a top panel 14, an opposing bottom panel 16, a front panel 20, an opposing back panel 22, a left side panel 24, and an opposing right side panel 26. At least five of the plurality of panels 12 of the dispenser 10 are curvilinear or stepped such that it will nest or fit together with a matching curvilinear or stepped panel on one or more adjacent dispenser to form a substantially parallelepiped shape 11.

The opposing left and right side panels (24, 26), the opposing front and back panels (20, 22) and the top panel 14 are curvilinear on the illustrated dispenser 10 and comprise a portion of a sine wave. However, any five of the opposing panels can be curvilinear or stepped to form additional nesting embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, yet another embodiment of the dispenser 10 is shown. The dispenser 10 includes a plurality of panels 12 to form the dispenser. The dispenser 10 has a dispensing opening 13, a stepped top panel 14, an opposing bottom panel 16, a front panel 20, an opposing back panel 22, a left side panel 24, and an opposing right side panel 26. The stepped top panel will mate or nest with another stepped top panel a seen in FIG. 14 to form a substantially parallelepiped shape 11 as best seen in FIG. 11.

The opposing front and back panels (20, 22) are stepped from a lower side height to a taller center height. The dispenser or sheets can be sized such that the stack 29 is bell-shaped or arched by having the ends of the stack pointing to the sidewall as shown in FIG. 13 and leaving a small opening underneath the stack. This can help reduce tissue sheet fallback by forcing the center of the stack 29 up towards the dispensing opening 13. As such, the bell-shaped stack may dispense better than the flat stack shown in FIG. 5, especially as the height of the dispenser is increased to hold stacks having many more individual sheets.

Other modifications and variations to the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. It is understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged in whole or part. All cited references, patents, or patent applications in the above application for letters patent are herein incorporated by reference in a consistent manner. In the event of inconsistencies or contradictions between the incorporated references and this application, the information present in this application shall prevail. The preceding description, given by way of example in order to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the claimed invention, is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims and all equivalents thereto. 

1. A product comprising: a dispenser housing a plurality of sheets formed from a sheet-material; the dispenser comprising a plurality of panels and a dispensing opening located in at least one of the plurality of panels; and at least one of the plurality of panels being curvilinear or stepped such that at least two of the dispensers will nest together to form a substantially parallelepiped shape.
 2. The product of claim 1 wherein the dispenser comprises a top panel, a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, a left side panel and a right side panel.
 3. The product of claim 2 wherein the top panel is curvilinear and comprises a portion of a sine wave, and the dispensing opening is located in the top panel.
 4. The product of claim 3 wherein the overall shape of the dispenser when viewed from the front resembles a whale and the dispensing opening is located near the apex of the curvilinear top panel.
 5. The product of claim 2 wherein at least two of the dispenser's six panels are curvilinear.
 6. The product of claim 5 wherein the top panel and bottom panel are curvilinear.
 7. The product of claim 5 wherein the front panel and back panel are curvilinear.
 8. The product of claim 2 wherein at least three of the dispenser's six panels are curvilinear.
 9. The product of claim 8 wherein the top panel, the left side panel, and the right side panel are curvilinear.
 10. The product of claim 2 wherein at least 4 of the dispenser's six panels are curvilinear.
 11. The product of claim 10 wherein the front panel, the back panel, the left side panel, and the right side panel are curvilinear.
 12. The product of claim 2 wherein at least 5 of the dispenser's six panels are curvilinear.
 13. The product of claim 12 wherein the front panel, the back panel, the left side panel, the right side panel and the top panel are curvilinear and the bottom panel is substantially flat.
 14. The product of claim 1 wherein the sheet-material comprises tissue paper and the dispenser is formed from carton stock.
 15. The product of claim 1 wherein the dispenser comprises a top panel, a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, a left side panel and a right side panel and the top panel is stepped.
 16. The product of claim 1 wherein two or more dispensers are assembled into a multi-pack bundle having a substantially parallelepiped shape, and the multi-pack bundle is shrink wrapped, banded, or adhesively held together.
 17. The product of claim 16 wherein the multi-pack bundle comprises two individual dispensers.
 18. The product of claim 4 wherein at least the front panel of the dispenser is printed to resemble a whale.
 19. The product of claim 14 wherein the plurality of sheets are formed into a stack.
 20. The product of claim 19 wherein the stack is bell-shaped or arched. 